The Time-Limited Villain Supports My Breakup

Chapter 20

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Bree ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“…Do you not want to be engaged to Roderick Evans again?”

Lyas looked at me with a genuinely surprised expression.

How much did I have to push Roderick for Lyas to react like that?

At this point, Daphne looked truly pitiful.

‘Especially since Roderick is the lowest of the low.’

Of course, I felt bad for Roderick to be forced into an engagement with Daphne against her will.

‘But if he hated it that much, he should have broken off the engagement properly with the family, instead of silently getting entangled with other women and turning Daphne black.’

Without saying anything to my family, he kept getting involved with other noble ladies, tarnishing Daphne’s reputation.

‘If Roderick truly loved Rize, I wouldn’t be so irritated.’

After finally breaking off the engagement with Daphne, Roderick later fell head over heels for Maria, the original female lead who appeared when he visited the capital.

And then he avoided any conversation with Rize, saying, ‘It hasn’t been long since I broke my engagement, and I’m bothered by people’s stares. Let’s talk about it later.’

He was unfaithful, yet he couldn’t even say, ‘Let’s break up first.’

‘Besides, Roderick has a terrible personality.’

Yep, three strikes, and you’re out.

After making my judgment, I spoke to Lyas.

“We will proceed with the annulment. I no longer love Roderick.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I realized on the brink of death. It’s not love, just foolish attachment.”

“…”

“I sincerely regret everything I’ve done.”

Saying that, I lowered my gaze.

“Now, I will live quietly. I’ve given up my aspirations to be a saint. I just… want to live a life for myself.”

“…”

“If possible.”

With that addition, I finished speaking and looked at Lyas.

He stared at me with a face that could only be described as complicated.

Understandably so.

Daphne had been caught trying to poison Lady Rize, who had been close to Roderick. It was indeed hard to believe.

“Well… I don’t mean anything else by it. I literally mean that I have no intention of seeing Roderick again.”

I quickly changed the subject.

“So can you do me a favor?”

“…Meals with the children?”

He hesitated for a moment and then fell silent. There was a sorrowful regret that looked exactly like the children.

I knew the reason for the feeling.

He had given them a teacher because he was too busy to take care of them.

But what was the result? The children were hurt and shed many secret tears.

So now, he felt ashamed to ask the children to eat together, as if nothing had happened.

I opened my mouth carefully.

“I want to ask you a question.”

“What is it?”

I said hesitantly.

“Do you resent the children by any chance?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lyas frowned as if wondering what I was saying.

“How could I think that? Aileen…”

As Lyas spoke, he momentarily closed his mouth. It seemed like he struggled to say her name, and after pursing his lips for a moment, he continued.

“…Losing her was truly a sad event, but I have never thought of blaming the children even once. I won’t in the future either.”

“I think the same way.”

“But the children don’t know that.”

“…!”

Lyas paused at my words.

“Instead, they think their father is struggling so much because of them.”

“…”

“The children are the same way. They don’t blame you for what Mentis did.”

“…”

“But they don’t know about your affection either because no one ever expressed it to them.”

It wasn’t anyone’s fault exactly. It was just that the time for conversation, to get to know each other, had been too short.

No, even if the children resented their father, Lyas still had to bridge the gap.

“Someone has to take the first step.”

“…”

“And I hope it could be you, as their father.”

Lyas’s eyes, filled with long-standing wounds, deepened at my words.

How much time had passed? After a slight silence, he slowly nodded.

“…Yes. Your words are right. Let’s do it your way.”

The awaited answer came. I let out a relieved sigh.

“But I have one request. I hope you’ll be there with us.”

“What? Me?”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at his words.

Lyas was a person who would surely repay the grace he received.

I thought he apologized just to avoid feeling indebted and still disliked me. But to invite me to join them for meals?

As I stared at him in surprise, Lyas hesitated before adding, “Of course, you might not like it…”

“No, I don’t dislike it. I just… wondered if it’s okay for me to join a family meal.”

“What?”

Lyas looked at me as if wondering what strange thing I was saying.

“Aren’t you a Peregrine?”

“…”

The unexpected answer left me speechless.

In the original story, Daphne had never thought she was accepted as family even once. She believed she was unloved and neglected.

However, Lyas called me a Peregrine so naturally.

So, I found myself nodding involuntarily.

Come to think of it, it might be better for me to lead the conversation than him.

‘Maybe I can enjoy a delicious meal and show Lyas that Daphne has truly changed.’

“Well then, I’ll let you know through the servants when a date is decided.”

It meant I could leave now. I stood up right away.

Then, I suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Lyas.

“Uncle.”

He looked at me as if wondering what was wrong.

“I have one more thing to ask.”

“What is it?”

“How did you know that we were in the annex that day?”

Lyas narrowed his eyes, as if asking why I was asking such a question.

“Well… Lady Flora told me.”

“Oh, Flora.”

“She said that a servant mentioned that you had been to Wayne District.”

Of course. Flora was the one who informed Lyas about Mentis and my actions.

‘And that servant broke his promise.’

I restrained the curses in my mind and added the servant’s name to my personal Death Note. Then Lyas asked.

“But why did you go there?”

“I went to get medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Yes. My condition improved, but I didn’t fully recover. I thought I needed more.”

Of course, this was a lie.

But saying that I went to inquire about whether the antidote I made was usable, considering what Daphne had done, seemed inappropriate.

In this situation, it was more fitting to say that I went to get medicine to survive.

“I never expected Uncle to go so far for me.”

“Well…”

Turning the topic back to Lyas, he hesitated before mumbling.

“…You were unconscious for several days. The purification by the priestess and normal medicine didn’t work.”

He called a priestess?

I widened my eyes.

The Peregrines, a long-established family of mages, did not get along well with the temple.

As time passed after the war, the power of the goddess or divine power, weakened over time. People also increasingly relied on magic, which led to the growth of mages’ power and influence.

As a result, the power and status of the Peregrines naturally rose.

With that the case, the two forces never had a good relationship.

‘Although in the current era, when magic is genuinely necessary, this is not openly revealed…’

Anyway, the Peregrines calling a priestess meant the situation was quite serious.

“Ah… Thank you. I didn’t know you even called a priestess.”

I expressed my gratitude awkwardly. Anyway, all my actions had made everyone uncomfortable.

“I didn’t say that to hear such words.”

Lyas said, shaking his head.

“If you’re truly thankful, then don’t ever… do such things again. …Never again.”

The look in his eyes was that of someone who had experienced sorrow several times.

Lyas said with a stern face.

“Yes, Sir. I won’t do that ever again.”

I had to say this. He nodded as if to say that was enough.

I quickly stood up. Lyas took a stack of documents on the side. It seemed to be documents related to Mentis’ affairs to be submitted to the royal family.

‘Wait a minute.’

I suddenly stopped at a thought.

“Uncle, there’s something strange.”

At my call, he lifted his head.

“What is it?”

“Surely, Mentis expressed a desire to become the twins’ teacher first, right?”

“…That’s true.”

“But, according to his diary, it’s written that he often visited the temple. He still hasn’t overcome the childhood trauma, as Uncle mentioned.”

“…”

“And Lady Flora mainly attended to the prayers of nobles at the temple.”

Flora, an orphan from the temple, continued her volunteer work even after becoming an adult.

She was known for offering a listening ear to the concerns of others and was said to be better at counseling than other priests.

Thanks to this, she built quite a network among the nobles. This networking continued until now, creating a diverse set of connections.

“So, what I’m saying is…”

“…”

“Perhaps Lady Flora knew about it too? That Mentis had strong feelings of inferiority towards Uncle.”

At that moment, Lyas’s face hardened.

If she knew everything but pretended not to until now, she was just as much of an accomplice.

Of course, there was a high chance she didn’t know. Mentis had a strong sense of pride, and even if he had feelings of inferiority, it might have been difficult for him to open up about it, regardless of how close they were.

But…

‘So what?’

Didn’t Flora also harbor suspicions about me?

Since she took the initiative to accuse me, I should repay the favor.

‘I’ll never allow myself to be victimized. Especially not when it’s unjust.’

I inwardly gave a wicked smile.